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Monday, February 29, 2016

Ughghghgh I mean, it's been a fine month. Taxes ate this month, though. Taxes always eat this month. I have an accountant now, but it's like Danny Dunn and the homework machine—you still have to feed the information to the accountant. But, I don't have that fear anymore that I'm going to just overlook something that I don't understand. Somebody is checking my work, it's so worth it.

I think I have to write taxes into my calendar, so that I stop thinking I'm going to get this or that done in the new year and stop feeling bad that I don't get it done because taxes always eat the new year. You never get a brand new year, all you get is, like, this used, dog-eared, slightly chewed year. But on the other hand, you get public works like highways and the National Park Service. It's like fall, or bedtime. You've been thinking it's one thing but it's this other thing; start seeing it for what it is and take it from there, maybe you'll finally get somewhere. Hellooo, it's not like "taxes" is this radical new government program. And anyway a used year is just like a used book—maybe it's got somebody's grubby fingerprints all over, but it's still perfectly good for what a book is for.

February picks:

HOME: Cleaning and decorating

3. Big clean front room!

So bah, I did nothing on this. I did organize my hats and gloves a little bit, on the Christmas tree that's still up because I'm using it as my hat and glove tree. This is a great idea actually, except that a Christmas tree, even small one, takes up a lot of room.

BODY: Healing my body

4. Continue bodywork.

Still seeing Maul every Thursday at 11 in her beautiful new space, still trying to wrap my head around how long I might be doing this? I don't know why it seems so weird to me, a weekly appointment to mind my body—like that's not just what I sell to my clients, it's even the same price. This is me suddenly clear on the concept of putting my money where my mouth is. And the difference isn't that what I do makes my clients sweat more, I'm constantly trying to squeeze in more SMR and mobility work into their hours. I'd love to get my hands on somebody who does an hour of MFR with Maul every week and also does an hour of mobility and movement with me every week, and then let them loose to do whatever clients do in the wild. Actually that is Nina! Nina gets more out into the wild than most, too. By the way SMR = self myofascial release, and MFR = myofascial release. Also real talk for Ruth, I pay for my sessions with Maul but I get a free session when I refer a new client to her—now you know everything.

and a little bit of SYSTEMS

5. And prep taxes for Elliott to finish! This month! I'm serious!

Aughghgh after everything, after canceling trapeze, after canceling my dentist appointment, my last chance to get this done in February is tonight and that is not happening. I have an important date with my couch on Monday nights.

PLAY: Studying muscles

6. Start studying muscles.

NOT DONE AT ALL >:(

PASTIME: Writing for my two blogs

7. Start writing up Nom for realz.

Not done at all :(

But yatta, I did write a lot for alla Poppy. I am liking writing for alla Poppy quite a lot! Writing quite a lot, and liking it quite a lot. I have a huge sense of I can do whatever I want, which is great. Maybe it was a mistake to start Nom, idk. Will see how that goes.

Going out, seeing people

8. Felting workshop at Maul's new space, I want to go to that.
9. Few Red Hots bouts coming up, we might go to those.

I didn't end up going to the felting workshop, not because of taxes but because I had donated a free movement screen to the WCR gala last year and my little chicken came home to roost. So I didn't get to felt, but I did get to see Kharma again who I haven't seen in forever. Fun fact, Kharma works at a lab that analyzes gait :::drool::: OMG I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE, tell me what is going on with my knee for the love of god.

I did actually have a pretty fun month, me and der schweetums had ramen at Furious Spoon and ice cream at Jeni's:

And, we saw Deadpool. Which I accidentally bought the RPX experience for, which—meh, leather seats and real loud. But it seems like for the sort of movie we're likely to go out for, City North sometimes only has RPX or IMAX and we like City North. We know how to work the soda machines there. Somebody pay me $100 in Amazon gift cards to say that in a focus group. We literally would not switch theaters to see a movie at a reasonable price because of the soda machines, we actually talked it over. We have a soda machine ritual. Plus I can get lime sparkling water, that is some really premium sparkling water.

I also proposed a Sunday supper club to the denizens of the Aloha Palace, and we had our inaugural supper at JJ Thai Street Food:

Photo by Machel Grizwold.

You know it's no use asking me for a review, right? I'm always going to say, "It was good!" It was good, though. Especially the chicken wings, and the braised pork noodles that I ordered.

And finally we didn't end up going to the Red Hots vs Bros bout, but we did go to Red Hots v Midwest All-Stars:

Photo by Vigilannie!

Staying in, Netflix and chill

Changing this up a bit, I decided that it's weird to plan what TV to watch; plus, I would like to watch TV only when I'm watching TV if that doesn't seem too obvious. Obvious or no, I'm a ways away from living my best life in that regard.

0. Sleeping TV

I was going to wean myself from sleeping TV to sleeping audio, viz., Neil DeGrasse Tyson on SoundCloud, the advantage of that being it would be no light versus low light and also presumably I could stop sleeping with my glasses on, which yes I do. Which, whatever, wasn't even in the top ten things I'd like to change about myself, until like two days ago I had a little panic because I couldn't see clearly out of my left eye, but it turned out to be a film of coconut oil on the inside of that lens because I started oil cleaning my face at night (omg winter, so dry). I thought I had a cataract! ANYWAY. I never got to Neil DeGrasse Tyson because I peeked back at Planet Earth and it no longer upset me for some reason and in fact it put me right out—so I stuck with that for most of the month. Did you know that snow doesn't melt in the Gobi Desert? It's so cold and dry, it just straight evaporates. Bactrian camels eat the snow for hydration, but they can only eat a little bit at a time lest they die of hypothermia FROM THE INSIDE. Clearly I am a monster that this does not upset me, what's happened to me. I mean I wasn't, like, laughing at the bactrian camels. Respect, camels! But anyway the other thing I've been doing this month is working out a very little bit more, little bit of planks, little bit of humane burpees, and holla, you sleep a lot better when you work out. So last Saturday I #justdidmy15 and that night I crawled into bed, took off my glasses, and ...fell asleep. Yatta! Yet I have learned to handle myself with kid gloves when it comes to sleep, I'm not going to force this issue. It was just that one night, anyway.

1. Working TV

If anything, working TV is more troublesome to me than sleeping TV. All this background TV is about what, filling in any white space where your brain might think its thoughts, heavens forbid. When you're laying in bed super vulnerable is one thing, but really, also when you're cooking or doing the dishes or sorting the laundry you need the electronic babysitter? I'll tell you one thing about my struggle with taxes this month, for that and only that I needed the TV off. Like I said though, kid gloves. Stuff in this category is generally disqualified for sleeping TV because it's too loud or sometimes too suspenseful, but otherwise formulaic and not terribly engaging—so generally, police procedurals. Which used to be my sleeping TV, so progress? Actually the level of engagement for cooking or cleaning is sufficient to keep me from getting sucked into any drama, I tend to quit shows that make me, uh, feel. What a lot of food for thought I am digging up here. Anyway, the role of working TV is being played by Person of Interest; it's okay.

2. Watching TV

So then, when der schweetums and I actually have some time to watch TV together, I like for us to pay attention. Which means it has to be good! And now, a thing to watch out for is being on our phones—which I was, when we were watching X-Files. But it was boring! And I hate that you're only going to tell six stories and you're going to choose Muslim suicide bombers for one of them? Come on, it's like Brookfield Zoo naming their hippo Obesa—maybe you mean something special by that, but tell me you had nothing else to choose from. So, no me gusta that. Let's see, we also watched Spectre, The Death of Superman Lives, Spooks: The Greater Good, and the first few episodes of DC Legends of Tomorrow, which I have dubbed DC Legends of Tomorrow and the Tasty, Tasty Scenery. It'll get better! Or DC Legends of Tomorrow Where Rory Gets to Be Doctor Who.

Idk, getting out of the house to see people and movies was a thing last year and idk if it's good or bad to not make them a thing. Wifey and I always talk about how things don't have to be a Thing, they can just be an Is. I think maybe you make things a Thing when you want to change them. If they're just an Is, you're okay with them. And it's not one or the other, you need a little of both, same old same old serenity prayer.